NFL Week 15 Rundown
by Dan Angell | by Tyler Doty
Week 15 NFL Highlights
With the San Francisco 49ers falling to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, it’s time to officially forget about them as a playoff possibility. There might be one remote scenario where the 49ers could find their way in, but with Washington having four shots to get to win No. 9, San Francisco would have to run the table to make it, which means finding a way to beat the Lions.
Given that the 49ers just scored a mere six points on the Rams, keeping up with Jared Goff and friends feels totally impossible. So that’s almost certainly not happening. However, Los Angeles now has a reasonable shot to win the NFC West. The Rams need a little help, but the teams they get to count on are Green Bay and Minnesota. That’s about as good as you can ask for if you’re a team in need of help to make the playoffs.
There are no more byes to worry about, so all teams are in action in every week for the rest of the campaign. Here’s a look at Week 15 for your NFL predictions:
Washington Commanders at New Orleans Saints
It seems pretty clear now: Washington’s not a good football team. The Commanders had one brilliant showing against Arizona (which also doesn’t look like it’s all that good), and they’ve mostly beaten bad teams the rest of the way. With the Cardinals now under .500, Washington doesn’t have a single win all season against a team who’s above that cut line. That looked like it might be enough in the NFC, but then the Rams started surging and are now above the cut line themselves.
Luckily for them, New Orleans isn’t anywhere near it. The Saints are showing some fight lately, having won three of their past four games, but the best of those wins was Atlanta. Cleveland and the Giants have both given up on the season, so it’s hard to say that the Saints are anything to worry about right now. That means the pressure is really on for Washington, because the rest of the schedule includes Philadelphia, Atlanta and a Dallas team that’s already beaten it once. If the Commanders can’t get the job done in the Big Easy, the Rams are going to steal their playoff spot.
Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions
This is exactly what Buffalo didn’t want to get into. The Bills knew there was nothing they could do about the schedule favoring Kansas City for the first-round bye, but they needed to take care of things before having to face the Lions. Thanks to the Rams’ surge, they didn’t do that. Los Angeles won by two last week, and now the Bills could be knocked out of the race for the first-round bye if they can’t win in Detroit.
The Lions are a juggernaut, but they do let good teams stick around with them a bit too long. Buffalo does have the offense to keep up with Detroit, and the Lions do have one free mistake on their side. A 15-2 mark would be enough to keep Detroit in the top spot in the NFC regardless of what anyone else does. If they are going to use that free error, this is probably the time.
If anyone can go into Detroit and score with the Lions, it’s Buffalo. It’s a really tough ask of the Bills to get a win here, but it’s what they need to do. This is likely to be the best game of the week.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles
This popped up at the worst time for Pittsburgh. At 10-3, the Steelers are almost playing with house money given what their expectations were for the season. But facing a trip to Philadelphia right before playing Baltimore for the division is not what the Steelers needed right now. The one good thing for Pittsburgh is that it’s a short trip down I-95 for next week, but the Steelers have to play two physical, talented teams on the road back-to-back — and the Ravens don’t, as they face the Giants this week.
The Eagles also have a bigger game to worry about next week. If Philadelphia beats Washington, the Eagles win the NFC East. But both cities get juiced about the Keystone State rivalry, and the Eagles still have their sights on trying to catch the Lions, especially if they get help from Buffalo. This is a chance for both teams to really prove themselves, as questions still exist with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia isn’t playing quite up to where its standards have been. That puts pressure on both teams.
Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos
It’s win or else for the Colts. If Indianapolis falls to Denver, the Colts can just about forget about the postseason. A Houston win plus an Indianapolis loss would clinch the AFC South for the Texans, and the Colts probably aren’t catching the Chargers or the Ravens. Their best hope is to beat Denver to take the tiebreaker, cut the Broncos’ lead to one game and hope Denver stumbles somewhere else (at the Chargers or home to the Chiefs are great options).
But this might be beyond the Colts’ capabilities. Denver has shown itself to be somewhere in the middle of the AFC hierarchy: not good enough to hang with the best of the best, but a cut above the lesser half. The Broncos showed no issues against Cleveland or Las Vegas, and they showed they can beat decent teams by pounding Atlanta three weeks ago. Indianapolis has three wins since surprising the Steelers on Sept. 29: Miami, the Jets and New England. That’s not good preparation for the Broncos.
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
The schedule is loaded this week, and the Sunday night game is a big one. The Packers have no room for error if they want to hold on to the No. 6 spot, as they still have to play Minnesota away before the season ends. Green Bay is probably pretty safe, but a win here would just about seal its position. The Packers have been playing very well lately; their only defeats since September have both come against Detroit.
Seattle has more to worry about. The Seahawks have won four straight to take the lead in the NFC West, but the Rams’ surge has them in a precarious position. Beating Arizona twice was a big step forward, but the Seahawks don’t have the tiebreaker on the Rams. They have to either stay ahead of Los Angeles or win the season finale in Southern California. With Minnesota next up for Seattle, a win here is vital to the Seahawks’ division hopes.
